Why Your Air Conditioner Is Blowing Hot Air

Posted On: June 7, 2017

Why is my air conditioner blowing hot air? Well, it could be a number of things, and chances are, it’s easily solvable. however, DON’T IGNORE IT. Ignoring an AC problem, no matter how small, can end up costing you a replacement.

When you switch on the AC and find that it’s blowing hot air instead of cold, you may be tempted to panic. Don’t worry. With a trusted source for air conditioning repairs, you can get back up and running quickly. However, before you call T.E. Spall & Son, take the time to troubleshoot the problem and try to determine the potential cause of your hot air.

You’d be surprised how many times people call us for air conditioning repairs, only to have our technician find that someone had accidental switched the thermostat to “heat.” On many thermostats this is quite easy to do, even by a curious child walking by, and your system won’t blow cold air if it’s set for heat. Remember, too, that “on” doesn’t mean the AC is on, it simply means the fan is on. If the AC is not also on, the fan will simply blow warm air through your home. Switch the system to “cool” and the fan to “on” and see what happens.

Hot Air from AC? It May Be a Frozen or Clogged Outdoor AC Unit

If the outdoor unit on your air conditioner freezes, which can happen when you are low on refrigerant or when the air flow is blocked, and the fan is switched “on,” you may notice the air coming out is hot. To check for this problem, head outside and see if your system is frozen. If you don’t see signs of ice, make sure there’s no debris clogging the unit and preventing air flow. Remove debris and see if it restores function. If not, you’ll want to call for service.

An AC Unit Blowing Hot Air May Be Caused By No Power to Outdoor AC Unit

Finally, make sure you have power running to your outdoor unit. If it seems that you don’t, check your circuit breakers to see if you have any tripped breakers. Also, check if the emergency shutoff switch, located somewhere outside near the AC unit, got switched off. Try restoring power and see if that fixes the problem.

A word of caution here, though. If you switch the breaker back on, and it trips again, then you have an electrical problem. Don’t continue switching it on. You could be putting your family’s health at risk. Instead, call for service right away.

If you don’t see any of these problems in your home, then it’s time to call for professional air conditioning repairs. T.E. Spall & Son is ready to help. Give us a call at 877-591-7508 to schedule professional repair for your system today!